Relief-valve.



. Patented Oct. 9, I900.

C. M. W. SMITH.

RELIEF VALVE.

(Application filed am. so, 1900.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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- Patented Oct. 9, I900. C. M. W. SMITH RELIEF VALVE.

(Application filed Jan. 80, 1900.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT FEicE.

CHARLES M. W. SMITH, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WALTER C.CARR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RELIEF-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,263, dated October9, 1900.

- Application filed January 30, 1900. Serial No. 3.293. (No modeLJ Toall whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES M. W. SMITH, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and a resident of the city of Cambridge, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Automatically Operated Relief- Valves, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in the form and construction ofan automatically-operated relief-valve for steam, air, or other gasesunder pressure, and has for its object the minimizing of the verticalmovement of the valve proper in order to obtain sufficient passage areato readily and quicklyprovide for the equalization of pressure,steadying the movement of such valve, so that it is not liable toviolent fluctuations or fluttering, providing easily-adjustable means ofquickly and readily varying the pressures at which the valve willoperate, and a form of construction which will admit of the mechanismbeing confined within a small space, meansfor keeping the difierentparts of the mechanism in alinement, and means for reducing the frictionon the working parts and providing features which will allow of aminimum amount of friction if the operative parts wear out of line.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and a combination ofthe same, which will be fully described hereinafter, and reference is tobe had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which similar characters represent the correspondingparts in both views.

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section on the line a a in Fig. 2. Fig. 2is a plan view with the upper left-hand corner, showing thecase of thevalve, broken away, so as to exhibit the annular concentric ringsforming the valveseat.

A is the main valve-casing.

B is a removable seat consisting of annular concentric rings b, theupper edges thereof being oppositely beveled and situated in the sameplane, the lower part of this removable seat forming a flange b for thepurpose of attaching to a supply-pipe. This seat also is provided with aVertical cylindrical projection b projecting from the central upper partthereof above the plane in which the upper ends of the annular eccentricrings 1) are situated, so as to form a guide for the valve proper, C,and at the same time act as a plunger entering into the dash-pot c,which forms part of the valve proper, C, and which is provided with arelief-opening 0 The valve proper, C, consists of a series of annularconcentric rings 0, arranged so that their diameters will be alternatewith the diameters of the corresponding annular rings 1) in theremovable valve-seat B, the lower edges of these annular rings a beingin the same plane and having their lower edges oppositely beveled at thesame incline as the upper edges of the alternate rings bin the removablevalve-seat B, the dash-pot 0 also forming a guide in connection with theplunger 19 so as to bring the bevel-faces of the annular rings of .thevalve C and seat B fairly and squarely into contact with each other andmake a series of air, gas, or vapor tight joints.

.The central upper portion of the valve C is.

formed into a ball 0 so as to form part of a ball-and-socket jointconnecting the valve 0 to the piston-like guide or plunger D. Thispiston-plunger D consists of a hollow cylindrical casting withadiaphragm (1 extending diametrically across it below the verticalcenter thereof and is provided with an annularprojecting flange d on itslower part, which acts as a stop to limit the vertical movement thereofby coming in contact with an annular downward ly-projecting flange a,which is integral with the valve-case A. It is also pro vided with acentral downwardly-projecting cup 61 and cap (1 removably fastenedthereto, so as to form the socket of a ball-and-socket joint inconnection with the ball 0 on the upper central portion of the valve C.v

Reinovably connected to the diaphragm d of the piston D is a boss 01having on its upper end lugs d for the purpose of connecting therewiththe vertical lever E. This lever is in turn connected to the two-partlever F, the short ends of which are fulcrumed on the upper end of thearms G, which are supported op the main valve-case A, and the longerends connected by the link 11 to the two-part lever I, which are in turnfulcrnmed on the vertical projecting arms 0, integral with the case A.The longer end of this two-part lever I is prevented from horizontalvibration by means of the guide J, bolted to the case A. The extremeouter end of the two-part lever I is provided with a bearing 2',carrying the adjusting-screws i. This screw has a bearing in the slidingnut K, carried on the top of the two-part lever I. The nut K is flexiblyconnected to the weight L by the downwardly-depending link M. The upperpart of the annular projecting flange a of the main valve-case A isenlarged and bored out, so as to form a stu fling-box a and is providedwith a packing-gland a, which is adjusted into the stuifing-box a bymeans of the packing-studs a The case A is also provided with ahorizontal flange-opening a for the purpose of attaching it to adelivery-pipe. The direction of the gases under pressure through thevalve is shown by the arrows. All of the bearings between the levers,links, and fulcrums are provided with antifriction-roller bearings.

The operation of the valve is as follows: Should the pressure in thesupply-pipe leading to the under side of this valve fall below apredetermined point for which the Weight L and its connecting levers areadjusted, the valve 0 would slowly descend and seat itself upon thevalve-seat 13, thereby preventing any backflow or return flow of thepressure. Again, should an excessive pressure be obtained in thesupply-pipe leading to the under side of the valve the valve wouldslowly adjust itself to the new conditions, and thus prevent undueshocks to the mechanism to be operated by gases under pressure. Also,should liquids be introduced into the supplypipe, which under gravitymight flow through an unobstructed pipe, this valve would prevent thepassage of such liquids unless under a pressure exceeding that at whichthe valve was adjusted.

Having fully described my invention, what I desire to secure and claimby Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a pressure-relief valve, the combination of a valve-body orcasing, a weighted lever hinged to said casing, a valve consisting of aseries of annular concentric rings flexibly connected thereto, providedwith a centrally-located dash-pot integral therewith, and an annularconcentrically-ringed valveseat provided with a vertically-projectingpiston operating in said dash-pot, substantially as described.

2. In a pressure-relief valve, the combination of a valve body orcasing, a Weighted lever hinged to said casing, aguiding-plungeroperatively connected thereto, an annularconcentrically-ringed valve consisting of a series of annular ringsflexibly connected to said plunger, so as to be free to adjust itself 65to its seat in all directions, and an annular concentrically-ringedvalve-seat consisting of a series of annular rings removably attached tosaid valve body or casing, substantially as described.

3. In a pressure-relief valve, the combination of the main valve body orcasing A, seat B removably connected thereto, provided withvertically-projecting piston b integral therewith, main valve 0 providedwith dashpot c integral therewith, flexibly connected to plunger D whichin turn is hinged by link E to the two-part lever F, which in turn ishinged by link H to two-part lever I, which in turn is hinged to themain valve case or body 80 A by means of vertically-projecting lugs a,this two-part lever I being steadied by guide J, which is fastened tothe main case A and is provided with the sliding nut K, from which theweight L is suspended by means of the links M, which weight ishorizontally adjustable on the two-part lever I by means ofadjusting-screw iand crank 71 connected therewith, all for the purposeas set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES M. W. SMITH.

Witnesses:

OunsrrnaS. NORRIS, AMY F. WILLIAMSON.

